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Abstract

Wandering albatrosses exploit the
vertical gradient of wind velocity (wind
shear) above the ocean to gain energy
for long distance dynamic soaring
with a typical airspeed of 36 mph. In
principle, albatrosses could soar much
faster than this in sufficient wind, but the
limited strength of their wings prevents
a much faster airspeed. Recently, pilots
of radio-controlled (RC) gliders have
exploited the wind shear associated with
winds blowing over mountain ridges to
achieve very fast glider speeds, reaching
a record of 498 mph in March 2012.
A relatively simple two-layer model of
dynamic soaring predicts maximum
glider airspeed to be around 10 times the
wind speed of the upper layer (assuming
zero wind speed in the lower layer). This
indicates that a glider could soar with an
airspeed of around 200 mph in a wind
speed of 20 mph, much faster than an
albatross. It is proposed that recent highperformance
RC gliders and their pilots’
expertise could be used to develop
a high-speed robotic albatross UAV
(Unmanned Aerial Vehicle), which could
soar over the ocean like an albatross,
but much faster than the bird. This UAV
could be used for various purposes such
as surveillance, search and rescue, and
environmental monitoring. A first step is
for pilots of RC gliders to demonstrate
high-speed dynamic soaring over the
ocean in realistic winds and waves.

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